RENO, Nev. (AP) - A World War II-era fighter plane flown by a veteran Hollywood stunt pilot plunged Friday into the edge of the grandstands during a popular air race, killing three people, injuring more than 50 spectators and creating a horrific scene strewn with smoking debris.

The plane, piloted by 74-year-old Jimmy Leeward, spiraled out ofcontrol without warning and appeared to disintegrate upon impact.Bloodied bodies were spread across the area as people tended to thevictims and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Authorities were investigating the cause, but an official with the event said there were indications that mechanical problems were to blame.

Maureen Higgins of Alabama, who has been coming to the air racesfor 16 years, said the pilot was on his third lap when he lost control.

She was sitting about 30 yards away from the crash and watched in horror as the man in front of her started bleeding after debris hit him in the head.

"I saw body parts and gore like you wouldn't believe it. I'm talking an arm, a leg," Higgins said "The alive people were missing body parts. I am not kidding you. It was gore. Unbelievablegore."

Among the dead was Leeward, of Ocala, Fla., a veteran airman andmovie stunt pilot who named his P-51 Mustang fighter plane the"Galloping Ghost," according to Mike Houghton, president and CEOof Reno Air Races.

Renown Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Kathy Carter confirmed that two others died, but did not provide their identities.

Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the Regional EmergencyMedical Service Authority, told The Associated Press that emergencycrews took a total of 56 injury victims to three hospitals. She said they also observed a number of people being transported by private vehicle, which they are not including in their count.

Kruse said of the total 56, at the time of transport, 15 were considered in critical condition, 13 were serious condition with potentially life-threatening injuries and 28 were non-serious or non-life threatening.

"This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades," Kruse told The Associated Press. "The community is pulling together to try to deal with the scope of it. The hospitals have certainly geared up and staffed up to deal with it."

The P-51 Mustang, a class of fighter plane that can fly at speeds in excess of 500 mph, crashed into a box-seat area in front of the grandstand at about 4:30 p.m., race spokesman Mike Draper said. Houghton said Leeward appeared to have "lost control of the aircraft," though details on why that happened weren't immediately known.

Houghton said at a news conference hours after the crash thatthere appeared to be a "problem with the aircraft that caused itto go out of control." He did not elaborate.

He said the rest of the races have been canceled as the NTSBinvestigates.

KRNV-TV weatherman Jeff Martinez, who was just outside the airrace grounds at the time, said the plane veered to the right andthen "it just augered straight into the ground."

"You saw pieces and parts going everywhere," he said."Everyone is in disbelief."

Tim Linville, 48, of Reno, said the pilot appeared to losepartial control off the plane when he veered off course and flewover the bleachers where Linville was sitting with his twodaughters.

"I told the girls to run and the pilot pulled the planestraight up, but he couldn't do anything else with it," Linvilletold the AP. "That's when it nosedived right into the box seats."

Linville said after the plane went straight up, it barrel rolledand inverted downward, crashing into an area where at least 20people were sitting.

"If he wouldn't have pulled up, he would have taken out the entire bleacher section," and hurt thousands of people, Linville said.

Linville said the plane smashed into the ground and shatteredlike an enormous water balloon, sending shrapnel and debris intothe crowd.

"It was just flying everywhere," he said.

Leeward, the owner of the Leeward Air Ranch Racing Team, was awell-known racing pilot. His website says he has flown more than120 races and served as a stunt pilot for numerous movies,including "Amelia" and "Cloud Dancer."

In an interview with the Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner last year, he described how he has flown 250 types of planes and has a particularfondness for the P-51, which came into the war relatively late andwas used as a long-range bomber escort over Europe. Among thefamous pilots of the hot new fighter was WWII double ace ChuckYeager.

Leeward talked about racing strategy in an interview Thursday with LiveAirShow TV while standing in front of his plane.

"Right now I think we've calculated out, we're as fast as anybody in the field, or maybe even a little faster," he said. "But uh, to start with, we didn't really want to show our hand until about Saturday or Sunday. We've been playing poker since last Monday. And uh so, it's ready, we're ready to show a couple more cards, so we'll see on Friday what happens, and on Saturday we'll probably go ahead and play our third ace, and on Sunday we'll do our fourth ace."

He also described Leeward as a "very qualified, very experienced pilot" and that he was in good medical condition. He also suggested Leeward would have made every effort to avoid casualties on the ground if he knew he was going to crash.

"If it was in Jimmy's power, he would have done everything he possibly could," Houghton said.

The National Championship Air Races draws thousands of people toReno every year in September to watch various military and civilianplanes race. They also have attracted scrutiny in the past over safety concerns, including four pilots killed in 2007 and 2008. It was such a concern that local school officials once considered whether they should not allow student field trips at the event.

The competition is like a car race in the sky, with planes flying wingtip-to-wingtip as low as 50 feet off the sagebrush at speeds sometimes surpassing 500 mph. Pilots follow an oval path around pylons, with distances and speeds depending on the class of aircraft.

The FAA and air race organizers spend months preparing for air races as they develop a plan involving pilot qualification, training and testing along with a layout for the course. The FAA inspects pilots' practice runs and brief pilots on the route maneuvers and emergency procedures.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a statement saying he was "deeply saddened" about the crash.

"My thoughts are with the families of those who have lost their lives and with those who were wounded in this horrific tragedy," he said. "I am so grateful to our first responders for their swift action and will continue to monitor this situation as it develops."

In addition to the 25 patients received by Renown, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center also received 25 patients. Of those, 4 are listed in critical condition, 6 are in serious condition and 15 are in fair condition.

Those wishing to check on the status of loved ones should call 775.337.5800 or locally dialing 211. We appreciate all of the thoughts and support that have been extended from around the world this evening.

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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